Curt Schilling’s Official Blog

Game 1 4/2/07 @ KC

Not sure where to even start. Two words sum it up best, no command. Can’t remember a game where I couldn’t make adjustments but today was certainly one of those. Not so much the secondary pitches but no fastball command is not something that happens much, if at all, over an entire game (even if the ‘game’ for me only lasts 4 innings).

We grabbed a quick lead on David’s double, which followed Youk’s single and immediately I’m in a spot that pitchers crave. Shutting down the other team after you take a lead. It can be a morale booster to your team, and a morale breaker to the opponent. KC was coming off a spring training that saw them hit better than every team but one in Arizona so I knew they were swinging the bats well.

The bullpen wasn’t good or bad, felt fine and got loose easy.

Started Dejesus off with some fastballs, which felt like they got more life as I started to throw. Got in on him for a fly ball to right. Grud worked the count to 3-1, laying off the first change at 1-1, and a FB down and away ended up middle in for a hard single to left. Had Teahan down quick and left a split up for another single 1-2 (I think). First pitch slider to Sweeney didn’t slide, bad miss. Next slider was better and he stayed on it and hit it hard to right to load the bases. Gordon worked a 7 pitch AB, and chased a good split down for out #2. A lengthy AB from Shealy, saw me go to the split 3-2 which he took for ball 4 to walk in a run. I can’t remember if I ever done that? Made a lot of mistakes inside this one AB and it ended up costing us.Overthrowing some balls when I had a chance to end the AB earlier and missing spots too badly to even get him to offer. Gload went 0-1 on a FB away and then I got in on him with a 1-0 cutter for the final out. 33 pitches, bases loaded walk, 1-1 game.

Not the start I was hoping for. Walking off the mound I knew my FB command was crap, and that I’d need to get it right fast.

Buck led off the second with a rope to SS on a 3-2 fastball. Anytime I get to a 3-2 count I am bothered, but getting behind and into deep counts on primarily fastballs is a bad sign. You have to have the ability to make adjustments off mistakes, something I’ve always felt I do, and today I am not sure I did it more than once. Got Pena to two strikes and hung a split badly that he crushed for a triple. Worked some FB and cutters to Dejesus and ended up getting him looking at strike 3 on a fastball away. Two outs again, RISP. Grud hits a 2-0 change that again leave up in the zone, to RF and it’s 2-1. Work Teahan FB, change and get him chasing a split to end the inning.

Third inning starts with Sweeney flying out to center on a 1-0 change up. Gordon works another 7 pitch AB before freezing on a hanging split on the outside corner. I get Shealy to end the inning with a 2 seamer inside, for a GB to third. Gload grounds out on a split to start the second inning. Buck then hits a 1-1 2 seam FB down the LF line for a double. I then throw Pena 5 FBs, and walk him on a 3-1 count. None of the pitchers are anywhere near where I am trying to throw them and I’m wrestling with that while trying to dismiss it, and get the next guy. Dejesus hits a FB to left and again, I am 2 outs with RISP. Grud crushes a FB away that’s up, to deep right for a 2B and Teahan hits a first pitch back door slider that never gets to the back door back up the middle for another run. The inning ends on a 1-2 split that Mike chases.

8 Hits on 7 different counts. A huge bug for me last year was first pitch hits, which doesn’t happen until the final two hits in the fourth today. All five runs score with 2 outs. I had more than ample chances to make this a game, and never did. Inconsistent command and horrific execution cost us the game. When you are facing a guy like Gil certain things can make it easier or harder. He’ll walk some guys if you give your offense a chance. His stuff is so good that when offenses have to press against him, or their down and need to make something happen, he can eat you up. After the first he settled into a nice groove and executed. He pitched a hell of a game and hats off to the KC fans, this towns always been a great baseball city with great sports fans, pretty sure the day and the standing O will be lifetime memories, just always hope you aren’t the guy on the other side when someone has one of those kinds of days. I never let us get into the game after the first. Every inning they pushed and I didn’t push back.

One thing that seemed to hurt you alot in this game was pitch counts. Granted, I never got to see the whole game due to being at work, but every time I watched the gamecast, it seemed that you were running over seven pitches a hitter. There isn’t a pitcher in the world that can survive deep into a game tossing a ton of pitches at even half the batters he faces…

Other than that… I see that ERA being under 3 by mid-May. You’re just that good. Pitching isn’t just about arm strength. It’s about preperation and heart.

We all know you prepare like all hell, and for the last part… you have it in spades.

Certainly the command of the fastball was AWOL, but tipping your change much, lately? Anyway, you were awful the other day. Sure, the Royals have some “preofessional” hitters as well as some “young studs” , but we’re talking about the perennial cellar-dwellers of the AL Central – a much better division in recent years due to pitching, but hitting?

Any rate, Curt, I didn’t see many of your spring starts, so forgive me for mentioning this now, but you might as well have been throwing a softball when you threw your change because it was tipped like a Craig Hansen slider.

You said you had one in 2000 and it worked just fine. And I believe you. I just hope we see it soon.

if you think a loss to Kc matters to the real fans then come on? it was a spring training start as far as i am concerned. You found an issue with the curve which you will fix. i saw power out there and command of some of your pitches. And really now, the big game Curt will be there against the Yanks this month to set us apart. I am relaxed and feeling confident. Work that curve and get ready for the games that matter.

The first game of the season is always a little shakey for a lot of pitchers, so here’s to the rest of the season and the potential that will be. This year it seemed to affect a lot of bigger names (Zambrano, Zito, Webb, Kazmir, Carpenter and Contreras). You’ve always bounced back, and we have always believed in you.

And anyway…

You can only feel so hard on yourself for so long: besides, other than Papi’s RBI, where was your offensive support?

This is why I love the idea of you writing your recap of the game because im a firm beleiver in hearing it from the horsemouth!The curly headed boyfreind was kind of easy on you (schill didn’t make excuses never does)and I think you make him nervous because not only are you a proffesional ballplayer but us fans don’t have to listen to his take/opinions on the outing.Ithink he’s worried you do his job better with more of a factual account of the game! Lets see where you are and where gil meche is come September/October.Good luck sunday.

I love this blog you have set up. You are a straight shooter that tell is like it is. You will bounce back, you’re a professional that works hard and is one to work even harder when you have a bad game. Where you wearing a red wired cross on opening day? I wonder if it’s the one I gave you and Mike Timlin when you came out to Anaheim last season. Good luck this season Curt!

Sox have made a habit of losing first games this decade. I remember Pedro losing opening day in 04 and the year did not turn out too badly.
It’s discouraging, but Curt, any thots going into next start Sunday? Has FB command come back in any side or bullpen session? Aware baseball has a way of humbling the best in the game, but interested to know what goes into getting over a bad start. Thank you.

Why hasnt Acefox been banned yet seriously? You add lines from the prodcuers??? There is nothing funny about that whatsoever. Don’t worry Curt we got two in shape normal aged aces going today and tomorrow just try to hold up your end of the bargain the rest of the year.

Totally understand your disapointment with your performance on opening day…I can’t remember an outing (including spring training AND regular season) where your fastball looked so flat. While it’s true you were able to throw a first pitch FB in for a strike…I’m sure you considered yourself very lucky on a few occasions that it didn’t go yard. They were right in the middle of the wheel house with no movement and at times coming in at 89 MPH. There’s not a hitter in the bigs that can’t drive an 89 MPH FB into the stands if it comes in flat.

Watching KC batters get around and pull your FB was something I wasn’t used to seing. I knew at that moment your game was off. I’m hoping Tek was able to point out a few things, but it looks like he’s also in a sort of a funk latley. I know he’s having a tought time at the plate, but my concern is…does he take that with him when he behind the plate…simply…is his head in the game.

Go back to your old mechanics….watch the hitch at the top of your delivery and follow through on your motion…..it’s what makes you unhitable. You are still one of th elite pitchers in the game….virtually unhitable when your delivery is smooth and deliberate. Let your release create the motion and your hips and legs drive the power….

Fill up the tank with jet fuel and take that fast ball and cutter for a ride….Looking forward to watching on on Sunday night…

btw…I thought the splitter looked pretty good….not perfect location..but all in all the pitch was doing the job.

Curt,
Have you ever apologized to Butch Stearns for tearing him a new one on WEEI about his comments regarding your relationship with Pedro? It appears that Butch was not that far off from the truth based on Pedro’s comments while leaving town.

Curt, no worries, you got about 29 other starts (figuring 30 is what most guys get these days), so you can go 29-1! Its the same thing I think that happened to Pedro when he was here from time to time…being the ace, you are going to face a teams best guys each start, and so the few times you are off, the opposing pitcher is going to make you look bad. Meche could have just as easily imploded in that first or second inning, giving off a few runs as well, and you could have both left in the 5th in a tie game at 4…

Don’t worry about it…it’s one game and you’ll knock their badges off this weekend. Thanks for 2004, buddy. Still wish I had copies of those commercials with you hitching a ride to Boston to break an 86 year old curse. Classic!

I think your posting thoughts and retrospect is one of the most exciting developments in Red Sox ball since Eck joined NESN. I LOVED reading your post, because it really gives us a birds eye view of the player perspective. It makes you human and truly shows the value of the Net. I’m excited to read your future posts!

Sincerely

Todd (and best from my family – Geoff (14 and a fan for life) and Emerson (4 and a new fan for life)

Curt the blogger! You expand the minds of baseballers! First there was the way the ace pitcher studied the batters in order to better pitch to each one. Now you blog and further erase the barrier between fans and players. We get to know you better, and you get to know us better. We all know you have no problem multitasking! More! More!

Your entitled to a bad day…..I have all the faith in the world in you, and so does Red Sox Nation…….as for Curly Haired Boyfriend, typical….the man actually has talent but is lazy……see column where he cut and paste your blog……now i was a journalism major but i think i must have missed that class…..at least you work hard at your craft, and no matter what the result, no one can every accuse you of being lazy or not trying, that is why so many have so much respect for you……..CHB & I talk alot, I often e-mail him about his columns, and I will give him this, he has called me a few times, so at least (with me) he takes the heat…….I have a totally unrelated question: I have coached Little League for some 15 years now, and am coaching boys 9-12, a middle-to-lower class city on the south shore, where kids don’t have much……and many come from broken homes, so making a difference in these kids lives is really accomplishing something….oh yes and they allidolize you, and the Sox……people don’t give them much of a chance, but they have a hell of alot of heart and talent, all they need to do is believe…….anyways, I’ve been looking for “Why Not Us” t-shirts, that i believe you started wearing in ’04…..I’d love to give them out to the boys and really get them cranked up for the season…can you point me in the right direction?

Time for my daily suck up. And the negative comments from the negative folks made me feel great and helped confirm I must be doing something right. LOL

Well now we’re really rolling. Judging by the Gameday simulcast it looked like things really went great. How did Josh look out there? I bet he must have been pretty fired up.

I hope the team is riding high and can’t wait to see Dice-K’s MLB debut tomorrow afternoon. It will probably be a zoo but I bet we’ll all be telling our kids about the day we saw Dice-K enter the scene.

Karl ravech announced that MLB and INDemand cable partnership have agreed to have Extra Innings on cable as well as DirecTV! Thank goodness for a victory of sanity. Either that or lots of threats from Congress, but hey I’ll take it either way.

Though if I had been able to switch to DirecTV and had made the switch for MLB I’d probably be pretty mad right now.

Thanks again for the moral support with the fans on the DirecTV issue Curt. Can’t wait to catch the rest of your starts this year.

We know you didn’t do well in the opening day game, but that doesn’t stop us from liking you. But as doug said don’t think about the money just go out there and do your best. But he didn’t say it exactly like that. He said it in less words. But listen to him he has a good point. And We hope that this is your only loss this year if not then that is ok.

I was recently browing Barry Zito’s SFS website, and I wanted to thank you for your support. It means a lot to Soldiers when Big Names show their appreciation. I’m an ex-101st Platoon Leader, and I know you’re a big fan of the 101st. Since I was made aware of that fact, I have vowed to use you on my fantasy Baseball Team every time you pitch. Keep up the good work, and tell Varitek I have a photo blown up of him shoving his catcher’s mitt up A-Rods nostrils, I’d like him to autograph it for me, haha.

This was recently written about Josh Beckett in a Red Sox blog that I usually enjoy reading. I just hope it isn’t true, so I wanted to get your opinion.

“On game days in Florida the ballpark opens up very early so that fans can line the fences, watch batting practice, and most importantly interact with the players and hopefully get a couple of autographs. On this particular day, Josh Beckett was not pitching, so he was just standing around in the field watching warms ups and basically hanging out. As he walked toward the dugout, a bunch of fans (including many little kids) started excitedly screaming his name and asking him to sign a couple of balls. His response: ‘Show the green. Show the green.'”

As someone who grew up with season tickets to the Red Sox, I may sometimes worship Sox players just a little bit too much and I sincerely hope I’m not being naive when I say that I find this account difficult to believe.

Really enjoying the blog and despite what the critics say I find you to be polite, honest and refreshingly unapologetic.

Deane/”acefox1″- When your comments are staring us right in the face, they’re hard not to read. Your “puff pieces” really seem more appropriate for a Junior High School chat room or My Space. You think you’re being cute but you are going to discourage a lot of people from visiting this site if you continue with the ridiculous posts. You are providing Dan Shaughnessy with more ammunition and that’s sickening. Please refrain and make room for more posts that this blog was intended for. We’re all passionately pulling for the Sox but you sound like a Pop Warner cheerleader, enough.

I applaud your decision to write this Blog and the way you are reaching out to the fans. In my own Blog, The White Rhino Report, and led my readers to a link to 38 Pitches. Here was yesterday’s commentary about your Blog:

Curt Schilling, Red Sox Ace pitcher, is evolving the technology tools he uses to get his message directly to the fans of “The Nation.” In the past, in his persona as “Curt in the Car,” he has often called into WEEI during broadcasts to comment on issues that were being discussed – often on the Dennis and Callahan Show during drive-time in the mornings. This season, he has chosen to follow a tactic of disintermediation, bypassing D&C and going directly to the fans using his Blog, 38 Pitches.

My reading of the first few weeks of postings on 38 Pitches tells me that he intends to use the site to comment on his performance, discuss teammates, and talk about his plans for the future, as well as devoting a significant amount of time and space to answering questions that have been posed by readers of the Blog. Schilling’s foray into the Blogosphere has prompted a great deal of discussion among the Boston media, wondering if this is the harbinger of the end of the need for traditional sports columnists and beat writers. We shall see.

If Curt can continue to pitch as well as he writes, he should have a successful season for our Boys of Summer.

Curt, so when are you coming on over to the Yanks? I am sure you will fair better that you former D-Backs teammate. If the Boston folks don’t start showing you some love, I am sure Steinbrenner would love to outfit you in some pinstripes. Just something to think about. G/L this season, except for when you play my beloved Yankees of course.

great day in redsox nation 100 million well spent so glad season finally has started just getting the feel for your blog amazing there is even the even remote chance you may read comments from us regular fans makes writing on your blog so much fun good luck next start heres a suggestion since u do this for fun ,charities ,and all the right reasons why don,t u quickly ban the people who feel the need to use your blog for their own negatity call me asuck up so be it but, you have created a avenue for something quite special for us fans why let the little peasent minds ruin it so they can draw attention to them selfs just an idea again it cool just to be able to write on your blog great work keep it up go red sox,patriots capecod

Forget about baseball for a minute…
How do pro athletes put a bad performance behind them? I’m sure a lot of them do it by chasing women and drinking, but seriously how do you move on from not having a great game?

Jeezus! Enough with the walk it off deek comments! Curt was pretty awful and everyone that saw the game knows it. I just hope it gets better after this train wreck. I am one of the few Curt defenders around these parts (my group of Sox fans), so please don’t make me eat my words and stop STB.
To find out what that means, looks at Fitzy’s latest townie news webcast.

Schill — I have been a fan for a while now and I think it’s great that you are blogging … I have a couple of quick comments/questions … JD Drew was a high school teammate of mine … I know you had some things to say about him when he elected not to play in Philly … at the time I understood your position and I understood JD’s stance … so, i’m not here arguing who was right or wrong … JD is a good soft spoken guy and always has been … over the years had you guys ever had the chance to have a conversation about those comments? If not, have you talked about it since he has signed with Boston?

I have always enjoyed a competitor! Thanks for entertaining me. I am fortunate to have married a die hard Red Sox fan and have become one myself over the last 15 years.
To your detractors: Get a life! Worry about something else (global warming, Iraq, crime, VT). Curt, you have made yourself accountable to the only ONE that matters: God. I praise you for your giving credit to Him!
Thanks for being a great Christian – athlete!
Timothy Beane

I know I am almost 9 months late with this post, but as Tito would say, “remember it is a marathon, not a sprint.” I always thought that was his way of sounding like Bill Bellichek….not giving the media anything to talk about. As a coach myself, I love that stuff.